


Trainer's Guide to Pasio, Poryphones, Sync Pairs, and Pining

by herohelio



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, ポケモンマスターズ | Pokemon Masters
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Pokemon Battles, Selectively Mute Red (Pokemon), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, running away from the media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23914096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herohelio/pseuds/herohelio
Summary: “Look here too!” Bettie hands Scottie her Poryphone.“In the dex entries, they’re rivals and best friends and they’re always seen together.”“Wait.” Realization dawns on Scottie’s face, and Blue resists the urge to bury his face in his hands. “You mean--”“They’re either dating, or Blue’s a hopeless pining idiot.”(Or: Blue has a lot to learn about the things in the new region.)
Relationships: Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red
Comments: 28
Kudos: 264





	Trainer's Guide to Pasio, Poryphones, Sync Pairs, and Pining

**Author's Note:**

> Battle Villa event/Red Sync Scout happens before Valentine’s Day/Steven Stone, and Prof. Oak’s sync story with Mew happens before the MCs meet him in the lobby (although they are present for the sync story). If a baby legendary with hoops can alter a timeline, so can I!

For something artificial, Pasio sure is big, in both people and land. 

The morning of his arrival is filled with registering for the league and meeting trainer after trainer. They’re of all backgrounds, some Elite Four and Blue’s confirmed that Leaf’s on her way, along with most Kanto gym leaders. The champion’s of somehow _every_ region have made it clear they’re going, and he can’t help but pity the trainers who are starting their Pokémon journey. Granted, there are temporary replacements, but the experience isn’t the same, nor is the skill. 

Thankfully, it ends, and Blue spends the rest of his day flying over the island. It’s got every environment he can think of, a woven tapestry of forests, glaciers, mountains, and more. It’s weird to think of it as unnatural, from how connected they all appear.

Pidgeot lands him on a mountain overlooking the entire region. His hair is intact by the end of their flight, but it’s ruined once a gust of wind blows. Sighing, he sits down and takes in the sight.

It’s beautiful but even so, he can’t help but feel as if it’s lacking, somehow.

A voice comes from behind him. 

“Hmph.”

Blue turns around.

The trainer stops, keeping their hand on a red hat covering most of their face. They can’t be older than Blue, arms thin and lanky underneath the black sleeves of their t-shirt in the way teenagers are, wearing a red jacket with a collar reaching their chin. Their sneakers match the shade of red of the rest of the outfit, polished and brand-new. For the most part, Blue doesn’t mind the clothes until his eyes land on the pants. 

They’re the stupidest pants he’s ever seen, and he’s been to Kalos, the most ostentatious and flamboyant region ever. On both pant legs, blue flames are running down each one, bright and blue and screaming in his face. They’re something he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing, much less with the rest of the outfit.

He opens his mouth to comment as the trainer tilts their cap up, exposing their face, and Blue immediately closes it.

Red.

(And his Charizard roaring behind him. Blue completely missed that.)

Time looks good on him. The perpetually bored expression that only seemed to worsen whenever one met his gaze faded, replaced with a more neutral countenance. Half-lidded eyes are now open and curious, examining Blue closely. Color returned to his pale skin and bones are no longer visible through clothing. 

Warmth emanates from him and the small wave of his hand to Blue burns whatever chill is left in the air. There’s a look on his face Blue can’t name, eyes shining in the sun and mouth curved upward.

He already knows what Red is saying. _Hey._

“Hey,” he says with a smile of his own. “Long time no see. I like the new look! It suits you.”

His eyes drift to the pants, and Red’s face flushes. Flattening his hands, he taps his right one over his left wrist and raises them. _Thank you._

Blue smiles. “It’s the truth!” He signs it, tapping his hand to his chin. “You’re doing the league here too?”

A nod. _Yeah. Friends?_ Clasping his hands together, he offers them to Blue, who simply stares.

“Aren’t we already friends?” He says although the term he would use is “rivals” or something else along those lines. Red hits his face with the palm of his hand. “Oh, oh! You want to team up?”

From the vigorous nods, Blue can assume it’s a yes.

“Great! But first,” he looks at Charizard and Pidgeot, “why don’t we battle?”

The hat tilts up. Red stares at him, before signing. _You’re on._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Blue loses, but he doesn’t mind, surprisingly.

They talk afterward, or what can be considered that, Blue mainly the one speaking and Red listening. Although it’s been months since they last talked, it’s been years since Blue’s seen him without freezing to death in a cave. He and Red sit on top of the stage, courtesy of Pidgeot and Charizard. Their Pokémon continue flying after they drop them off, chattering and catching up with each other. The sight makes him smile and he goes to nudge Red when a gasp comes from him.

Pointing to the stage, Red’s mouth is open and his gaze is fixed on the battle below. Electricity fills the arena as a small Pikachu attacks, zig-zagging around the other Pokémon. The trainer, he assumes, is a small girl, black hair tied up in a bun, matched with a blue hat and sweater. From her small stature, she can’t be any older than twelve. Her teammates, a girl with dark hair and a Haxorus roaring at an opponent and a blonde boy with a Piplup blowing bubbles, all cry out together at the same time as they launch an attack at the same time. The girl is recognizable, Iris, one of the former Unova champions, but Blue’s mind comes up empty for the other two.

They accept their victory from the other team and walk off the stage, a new set of trainers arriving at the fray. Blue’s eyes nearly bug out of his head because Brock and his Onix are there, towering over the rest of the competition. The girl to the left with twin ponytails and a Snivy he also recognizes, Rosa, actor and current reigning Unova champion. The same can’t be said for the boy in the middle, who has another Pikachu, a bit slower than the previous one. It darts around the stage and paralyzes them quickly, leaving their teammates to take them out. 

“Now I understand why your Pikachu isn’t here,” Blue says, looking up. “There’d be too many.”

Red doesn’t reply, Poryphone in his hand. As much as he hates to admit it, Blue hasn’t figured out how to get his working yet. Red taps the phone screen several times before handing it to him.

It’s a picture of the boy and girl with Pikachus. The photo is much clearer than his blurred view atop the stadium, and Blue stares. Both kids have the same face, grey eyes, black hair, and a smile brighter than the sun. Their Pikachus are by their feet, one boy and one girl judging by the tails. _Scottie and Pikachu, Bettie and Pikachu_ , the captions read. _Two trainers with their Pokémon on a new journey to become a Pokémon Master. The two are twins, excited to begin their life in Pasio._

“So those two are Scottie and Bettie,” he concludes. “Awesome! They’re pretty strong, I’d love to battle them!”

Pinching together his index finger and thumb a few times, Red nods. _Same._

“A lot of trainers are in Pasio and forming teams.” Blue grins, adrenaline pumping through his body. “I’ll show everybody here I’m the best, and that our team is the strongest! I’ll--did you just roll your eyes?!”

Red shakes his head, but a smile forms on his face.

“You did!” He shoves him. “Red!”

He laughs. _You’re already one of the best._ Red looks back at the battle. _I’m excited too._

“Heh, thanks!” His heart swells at the compliment. “You know, since I’m on your team you’re going to be so much stronger! Don’t think you can slack off, though!” Red won’t, he knows, but he wants to make that clear. “We’re going to win this, together! Got it?”

Red taps his chest twice. _Got it._

* * *

Blue gets his wish of meeting the twins far sooner than expected. 

He finishes his afternoon of training with Pidgeot, cutting it short when his partner chirps, and Scottie and Bettie walk up. They’re both bouncing up and down as their Pikachus run over to Pidgeot to play. If Blue squints hard enough, he can see stars in their eyes. It’s nice to know he has an adoring fanbase.

“Oh, hey! Scottie and Bettie, right?” They nod. “Bonjour! I’m Blue, but you’ve probably already heard of me though.”

“Yep!” 

“Mhm!”

Not much of talkers. The two are small, both wearing caps and matching jackets. They remind him of Red. They’ve got Pikachus and everything. If they’re a fan of him, they’re probably a fan of Red too.

“Bad timing! I would’ve let you two battle me if you came earlier.” Their faces drop and their mouth curves into a pout. “Maybe some other time! When you’re as famous as we are, trainers will challenge you every minute! Pidgeot needs some rest now.”

Pidgeot trills in agreement.

“Good thinking--” Scottie says, only for his sister to burst in front.

“So you do have a heart!” She interrupts. 

Blue raises a brow. “Of course I do! Pokémon and trainers should get plenty of rest if they want to do well!”

Scottie whispers something into his sister’s ear, causing her to shrug and whisper something back. Their grey eyes are stormy, but past the fog he knows what they’re thinking.

“What are you two whispering about?” He teases. They snap their heads up. “I know that look. You want some battle tips, don’t you?"

“Well,” Scottie bites his lip, “we were hoping you’d…”

The personality difference is obvious between them. Scottie looks down, mumbling something under his breath. Bettie fills the sentence in. “Yes, please!”

“Great!” He pumps a fist into the air. “I know some trainers here on Pasio--I’ll introduce you!”  
  
  
  
  
  


The biggest reality check of the century knocks the air out of him when Flannery _and_ Misty both tell him they’re already on the twins' team.

“Wait, you mean you’re _both_ on Scottie and Bettie’s team?” He repeats. 

The girls giggle, Bettie hiding a smile behind her hand. Scottie gives him a look that’s akin to pity as his mouth hangs open. “No way!”

“Yup!” Misty says, proudly patting her chest. “Brock and I taught them the basics. They’re doing really well!”

“Aw, thanks!” The twins say together, but both in different tones. Bettie’s smile widens while Scottie blushes. 

“Hm,” Blue crosses his arms over each other. “You know if I were on the team, they’d be even stronger.”

“Excuse me?!” Misty huffs, defensive. “Did you just insult my teaching?”

“Just saying, they’d benefit a lot more from a stronger sync pair.”

“Ugh, you haven’t changed a bit! You still think you’re better than me. At least Red’s nice.”

“I’m not saying that I--wait, when did you meet Red?” He questions.

“A while ago,” she says dismissively. “I can’t believe someone like you is on his team!”

“Technically, he’s on my team, not--”

“Alright, you two,” Flannery cuts in, her Torkoal letting out a huge burst of steam. “It feels weird saying this but cool down! We can always settle this with a Pokémon battle!”

“Oh, yeah!” Bettie cheers. “We're okay with that!”

Blue laughs. “I’m game too! There is a bunch of event matches happening on Pasio, so we should do that!”

“That seems like a roundabout way of solving things but either way, challenge accepted!” Misty says, clenching her fist. “Let’s do it!”

“All right! Flannery and one of the twins are with me then!”

Misty and Flannery’s eyes widen, freezing to turn to him in protest. 

“What?!”

“No fair!”

The twins say nothing, whispering to each other. Scottie’s eyes widen and Bettie nods, giving her brother a shove forward.

“Scottie’ll be on your team!” She hollers and runs off.

“Wait--” Scottie objects, but Bettie’s already making her way to Misty.

“It’s okay, Misty,” Bettie says and winks at her. She’s surprisingly suave, for a kid. Was he like that when he was younger? “I’ll be on your team!”

“Really?” The Cerulean gym leader grins. “Great! See you three there!”

They walk off, leaving a bewildered Scottie, mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for breath. Seeing as they were in the presence of a water-type trainer, the simile seems fitting. Pikachu nuzzles his legs and he picks it up, cradling it in his arms before meeting Blue’s gaze.

“Hi. Hi, Flannery,” he says, who gives him a thumbs up. “I haven’t properly introduced myself to you, Blue, but I’m Scottie.”

“Nice.” He’s awfully polite, Blue notes. “Scottie, you ready to battle?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


From the first few battles Blue has with them, he can see why Misty’s proud.

Flannery, naturally, being a gym leader, already has a solid grasp of battling. She overpowers the other trainers with her Torkoal, supporting him from the sides. She and her Torkoal are slow but aid him in the battle with their flames. 

Scottie is a different story. With his Pikachu, they’re fast and dodge attacks, but his voice is unsteady and doubtful, causing it to get hit more times than it should. Joints locked, his entire body is rigid as he calls out commands. Sweat glistens down the side of his face and he keeps glancing at his left as if expecting someone to be there. 

Blue’s seen his problem many times before. Both from gym challengers and someone in particular. Scottie’s issue needs to be fixed soon.

“Hey,” Blue says, after one battle. Flannery isn’t listening, attempting to bring her Torkoal in for a hug. She yelps in pain, hand burned. “You should have some more faith in you and Pikachu.”

“Hm?” Scottie tilts his head. 

“I know you’re aware that you should always treat your Pokémon with love and care,” he nods towards Pikachu, “but it’s important to also trust them and trust yourself. You and Pikachu keep getting hit because you don’t sound confident!”

“Confident?” He echoes. “Like how?”

“You gotta speak like you mean it! Here, Pidgeot, Air Slash!”

Pidgeot sends a gust of wind towards them. It blows off Scottie’s cap, and Blue catches it and places it back on his head. “Sorry about that,” he apologizes. “But once you say it, you’ll know your Pokémon will do it. Try.”

“Okay.” Scottie breathes in and out. “Pikachu, Thunderbolt!”

His voice shakes a little at the end, but it’s an improvement from before. Pikachu lets out a battle cry and electrocutes a poor leaf on the ground. The move is done the moment it’s said, boosting their reaction time.

“That’s great!” Blue slaps him on the back. “Not bad for a beginner!”

Their next battle goes by fast thanks to Scottie applying his advice. The two dart around the battlefield, forming a zigzag path. They use their speed to their advantage and paralyze the Pokémon, allowing Blue to attack.

They make it to the finals easily after that and as they celebrate, Blue’s Poryphone chimes. Taking it out, there’s a notification on the screen and he hits every button on the device, but no amount of button pressing opens it. 

“Tap the circle button at the bottom,” supplies Scottie. 

Blue does as told and the message fills the screen. “Thanks.”

“No problem, the Poryphones are confusing.”

Reading the message, his eyes go wide and he rereads to confirm. 

**Misty [2:12 pm]**

_Darn, we just lost, guess we won’t be battling you guys in the finals!_

_Bettie’s okay but a little bummed, can you tell Scottie for her?_

“What are you looking at?” Flannery peers over his shoulder, and her eyes go wide as well. “No way!”

“I know!” He scratches his head and recounts her message to Scottie, who also looks shocked. “I thought they’d make it to the finals!”

Someone strong enough to defeat them...Blue racks his brain for ideas. The only people capable of defeating gym leaders would be champions or other gym leaders. No normal trainer could beat one unless that trainer was someone he knew all too well.

Red? No, the crowd in the stadium would be too much for him. From what he knows, Red’s training today until later in the evening, when he and Blue meet up. The possibility of him being in the event is slim, but it’s not impossible. 

“At least we had fun!” He hears someone saying. Misty and Bettie come toward them, a cheerful smile on the latter’s face. “I learned a lot!”

“I’m glad!” Misty sighs as she faces them. “I guess we won’t be facing you guys in the finals after all…”

“What happened Misty?!” Flannery yells. 

“You got sloppy, didn’t you?” 

“There’s always next time!” Scottie assures, and Bettie leans her head on his shoulder as her brother pats her head. “You got far, though!”

Misty glares at Blue. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. The guy that beat me said he wants a rematch with you, though, so you’d better be prepared!”

His suspicions of it being Red fly out the window. “A rematch?!” He can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. “Who is he?”

None of them give him a response aside from Flannery, who gasps and points at the other side of the stage where a group of people starts heading toward them. The leader, someone shirtless with their _very_ muscular arms (that’s definitely not him) crossed over their chest stops in front of Blue, who promptly looks up. 

“I’ve been waiting for you, Blue!” Bruno, of all people, announces, pounding his fists together. 

“Ah, Bruno!” He replies. “So you’re the one who beat Misty. That’s the Indigo Elite Four I know!”

Flannery and Scottie stare in disbelief. “We have to battle him?!” Scottie yells, knocking Bettie off his shoulder.

“Indigo Elite Four?!” Flannery looks as if she’s about to pull her hair out. “Oh man, we need to be serious now!”

“Yeah,” Blue affirms. “Good call, Flannery. Let’s win this!”

The battle kicks off right after that. Statistically speaking, they have the advantage, as Pidgeot’s a flying type while everyone on Bruno’s team is fighting. However, Blue doesn’t let that fact get to him, as letting their guard down could cost them their victory, and there is no way he is losing in front of a stadium full of people. 

Bruno’s apprentices target Flannery and her Torkoal instead of Pikachu. Their Machoke and Throh have the speed advantage, damaging it until it surrounds itself in a cloud of steam and disappearing. 

“Great job!” Flannery cheers. She nods to Blue and Scottie, and they use the opportunity to attack.

An air slash from Pidgeot stuns the Throh and Pikachu finishes it off with a thunderbolt. Machoke aims a low sweep towards the mouse but it hops out of the way with Scottie’s directions and shocks it senseless.

Two down. One to go. Bruno’s Machamp punches Torkoal, sending it flying into a podium. It struggles to get to its feet before another kick rams into its shell and it lies on the floor, stunned.

“I got Torkoal!” Scottie yells, making his way over to it. He removes a potion from his pocket and sprays it on, Torkoal hopping back up. “She’s fine!”

Potions are allowed? That’s new. There’s no time to spare on that thought though, and Pidgeot whirls another hurricane towards Machamp.

“Thanks, Scottie!” Flannery pumps a fist into the air. “Let’s finish this!”

“You heard her! Mega-evolve Pidgeot!”

Tapping the stone around his neck, he lets the power wash over him and surround Pidgeot. Mega-Pidgeot caws, enveloping Machamp into a hurricane.

The Pokémon wobbles but remains standing. It slams a foot down on Pikachu who cries out. Whistling, Scottie removes a potion from his pocket and sprays it on his Pokémon. The bruise is healed and it runs back on the battlefield.

“Go!” Blue yells at Scottie. His Pikachu shocks it, ending the battle. 

Bruno and his team accept their loss and congratulate them on their win with the promise of training harder. He pats Blue’s back with such strength it leaves him gasping for air, but he smiles nonetheless and waves goodbye. Flannery follows them to train, leaving Blue and Scottie alone.

Bettie runs onto the stage, giving her brother a hug that sends them both hitting the ground. Laughing, Blue helps them up.

“I guess that ends our little impromptu team,” Blue says. “It’s been fun, Scottie.”

“I had fun too!” Scottie chirps. “Thanks, Blue!”

“Glad to hear it!” 

“This is why I told you’d learn more on his team,” Bettie nudges him. “See?”

He grins at her. “Hopefully I’ll see you two soon! We’ll end up battling one way or another and when that time comes, I’ll look forward to seeing how strong you’ve become!”

As he walks off the stage, he hears a roar and looks up. There, atop the stage, a Charizard peers down at him and Pidgeot. A trainer rides on its back, a hat over their face. Before he can call out, the two are gone. 

His Poryphone chimes.

**Unknown [2:45 pm]**

_I watched your battle_

_Congrats_

Blue chuckles. There’s only one person who could have texted him that.

**Blue [2:45 pm]**

_You were free to join_

_But thanks_

_Red_

* * *

“Look what I got!” 

Taking a seat next to Red, Blue hands him a taiyaki that he bought from a street vendor. Seeing as the league doesn’t start for a few more weeks, they both have loads of free time to explore the island. Although Red’s more interested in hiking up the volcano and forest, he’ll sometimes accompany Blue when he goes to the city, and today is one of the rare days he does.

Moving his hand from his mouth down, Red takes the food, the dough designed to resemble a Magikarp. _Thank you._

Blue grins, swallowing a bite from his. “No problem!”

He tells him about the tournament event with the twins, how they defeated Bruno, and won. Red nods and listens, taking bites of his food during the pauses. Midway, Red frowns at his taiyaki which can’t be right because he _loves_ taiyaki, and Blue’s tastes fine to him. Pausing, Blue waves a hand in front of his face.

“What’s up?” 

No answer and his frown deepens. In any other situation, the pout on his face would be adorable.

“...Red?”

Fishing his phone out of his pocket, Red scrolls through for a moment before stopping. He shows it to Blue, a picture of the most pretentious person he’s ever seen. The oversized red sunglasses look as if they’re about to fall off any second, and the amount of hair gel in their hair is more than Blue uses. Who even wears a cape nowadays, especially one with fur? He can tell what kind of look they were going for, but it’s executed horribly wrong.

Red points to the bottom. _Prince Lear,_ the text says. _This_ is the guy who invited (more like demanded) him to come to Pasio? Pompous brat would be a more fitting title for him. 

“What about him?” 

Gesturing towards a group of trainers, Blue watches as a girl with an Oddish battles a boy with a Rattata. A crowd has formed around them, many people on the Rattata’s side as it dodges and bites the opposing Pokémon. 

“You battled him?” Blue concedes. “How’d it go?”

Red tips his hat down, typing his response on his phone. _I won._

“But…?” Taking a bite of his food, Blue continues. “Didn’t feel like a victory, huh?”

Red eats the head of his Magikarp themed taiyaki. “Mhm.” 

Daisy’s better with emotional and comforting talk. Red’s mom is too. Even Leaf. If one of them were here, they’d have something to say that’d lift Red’s spirits, but Blue’s the one with him, not them. Honestly speaking, Lear doesn’t seem that much of a threat, more like an annoying kid, and that’s what Blue says. “Don’t worry about Lear. He’s a brat. If he said anything to you, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. The PML starts soon and you’ll get to battle him for real next time!”

“Hngh!” Red coughs and Blue thrusts a napkin in his hands as he spits out his food. First of all, ew, second of all, Blue wishes someone would make a compilation of every Red sound because his voice sounds too soft to be true. 

“You good?” He says.

Red opens his palm and curls his fingers, drawing small circles with them. _Bitter._

“The food or Lear?” Red makes a face. “Okay, okay. For someone who spent years living on an ice mountain, you sure are picky.” 

Classic shrug. Before Blue can continue, Red takes another bite and red bean paste gets stuck to the corner of his mouth. He doesn’t notice, chewing and going for another bite. For a few moments, Blue watches him eat, oblivious to the world. He pulls out his Poryphone when Red isn’t looking to snap a photo.

His mouth is open, bits of food around it. Red was a messy eater even when they were kids, and it’s nice to see that trait hasn’t changed. He’s mid-bite into his taiyaki, oblivious. Blue sends it to Leaf, Daisy, and Delia.

“Hey, wait.” Red lowers his food, letting him wipe off the crumbs on his face with his sleeve. “There you go. Can’t let one of the strongest trainers look like that!”

 _Thank you,_ is the fast reply, Red turning away. Blue catches a glimpse of his face before his cap covers it--he isn’t sure, but his cheeks are a little pink. _You’re a strong trainer too._

Embarrassment from Red is once in a blue moon. Blue’s brain doesn’t register the second sentence, preoccupied with taking out his phone to take more pictures.

“Smile for the camera!” He jokes. 

If anything, Red blushes even more, pushing Blue away. _Stop it!_

“No way, buddy! I don’t have a picture of your contact yet!” That’s half true, seeing as Blue’s just starting to figure out how the Poryphone works. “C’mon!”

There’s the bare minimum of a centimeter in height difference between them, Blue, thankfully, the taller one. Red swipes for the phone, Blue ducking and continuing to film. Their taiyakis are both finished, concerns of dropping them gone. Free to move, Blue dodges him for a few more minutes until Red stops moving. 

“Uh, Red?” Blue asks, afraid he’s struck a chord. An image comes back to him, tears welling in someone’s eyes, clenched fists, a kid running off and never returning. Not again. “Did I--”

Grabbing his wrist, Red yanks him towards him, startling Blue as he yelps and tries to break free. His grip is firm and no amount of twisting can loosen it. Mount Silver is survival of the fittest but its impact on Red doesn’t show physically until now when Blue’s blood circulation is being cut off. He’s half-considering kicking Red’s foot until he looks up and realizes three startling facts: 

  1. Red’s hair peeks out from underneath his cap, dark and unruly, creating soft shadows across his face. Come to think of it, he hasn’t ever taken off his hat.
  2. Their faces are dangerously close. He can feel Red’s breath blowing on his face, the sound of his breathing level with his. If someone were to be standing nearby and took a picture, it’d look like they were doing _something_ that only happened in Daisy’s bad rom coms, which in turn, would make the tabloids go nuts. 
  3. Prior to his last thought, Red snatches the phone out of Blue’s hands, jerking him back to reality. “Hey!” 



The thief sticks his tongue out, running. 

“Oh, that’s real mature--don’t you _dare_ delete them!” He yells.

Lear can wait. He can wipe the floor with him later. For now, Red is going down. 

* * *

**Blue [3:24 pm]**

_image345.png_

_Lol look at you_

**Red [3:25 pm]**

_ >:( _

**Blue [3:25 pm]**

_ >:P _

_It’s a good photo though!_

**Red [3:30 pm]**

_:\_

**Blue [3:30 pm]**

_It took you five minutes to type an emoticon_

_Five minutes_

**Red [3:32 pm]**

_:\_

**Blue [3:32 pm]**

_:\_   
  


* * *

“I’ve missed you guys!”

The afternoon Leaf arrives in Pasio, Blue expects her to take time off and recover from jet lag. The flight’s pretty long and considering she came from Kanto, it would have been longer. When Blue first sees her, not an ounce of exhaustion is in her body and she practically leaps off the stairs to hug them. Her sync partner, an Eevee, which makes Blue miss his, mewls and greets them. Afterward, Leaf ends up dragging him and Red to a small cafe to catch up, just as energetic as before.

She tells them how Kanto is, seeing as one of them is on another continent and the other spends their time on a mountain. She’s been doing field research with Kris and helping out with the league as according to her, the new Kanto champion, Elaine, had a lot of work to do thanks to every gym leader leaving (she loudly coughs and glares at him) and Leaf helped organize a few things before leaving as well. The temporary members of the Indigo Elite Four are now Chase, Trace, and some kids named Joey and Janice. 

Red leaves to feed their Pokémon outside and Leaf stops in her mid-lecture of the trainer selection process. Taking a long sip of her tea, her eyes glinting under the fluorescent lights and her lip curling into a grin. 

“So,” she says, stirring her tea, “how’d you get Red to come to Pasio?”

“What?” Blue tilts his head. He sneaks a glance at Red, who’s petting Leaf’s Eevee. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not exactly a secret that Red hates crowds. Mom and I’ve been trying for _ages_ to get him down Mount Silver.” She takes a sip. “It’s interesting how you go and suddenly Red’s here.” 

“Red was here before me,” he says. “He got an invitation to come too.”

“Really? We invite him all the time and he never does anything about it.”

Blue sighs. “It’s because the things you suggest don’t interest him! Pasio has the PML and a lot of strong trainers are here, so naturally Red went!”

“Still doesn’t explain why you two are acting _pretty close_ ,” she sing-songs. “I know you check up on him on the mountain every few months. How do you think he’s handling being in civilization again?”

It’s hard to say. Red stiffens whenever more than two people approach him unless it’s to battle. His knowledge of technology has improved, but when it comes to anything more advanced than texting it becomes a whole new jargon for him. His etiquette is horrendous, and he’ll eat wild berries off bushes without a care in the world.

“He’s...improving.”

“So when do you think you’ll confess?”

“When I’ll—WHAT?!” Blue sputters. He’s thankful Leaf picked out an empty location because the barista glances at them but otherwise, no one else is there to see him sputter. “Whe—Where’d that come from?”

“Nowhere.” Leaf gives him a shrug, similar to her brother’s. Runs in the family. She smiles, feigning innocence. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, and seeing as you are spending a lot more time together, I just connected the dots. You’re both too awkward to be dating yet, and Red’s not going to be the first one--”

“He’s not going to be the first one because he doesn’t like me like that!” He slams a fist down on the table. “And I don’t either!”

“Really?” She eyes him skeptically. “You don’t?”

“Yes!”

“We’ll see!” Leaf chirps. Red’s coming back inside and she says her next words in a low whisper. “Either way, it’s nice to see you two together again. I’m glad you’re on a good note, even if isn’t a platonic one.” 

“Wha—“

“You heard me!” With that, she grins at Red who enters. “We left you some food!”

  
  
  
  
  


He tries to get Leaf’s words out of his head, keyword: _tries_ , but it’s proving to be very difficult especially when the guy she insinuated is sitting on his bed, watching TV while Blue scrolls through his phone.

Whoever decided to put Red’s bedroom adjacent to his is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because that means Blue doesn’t have to go far to look for him. A curse for the exact same reason. The love-hate relationship he has with the universe needs to stop.

“Hey, Red, check this out!” Red hits pause on the remote to turn to him. “They have Dex entries for us too!”

He practically leaps off the bed and stands behind Blue. “You want me to read it?” Nodding, Red leans forward and back, like an excited kid. Blue disguises his snicker as a cough. “Okay, here’s mine. ‘The highly skilled, powerhouse trainer,’” he says loudly. “I like the sound of that--okay I’m reading! ‘Trainer prominent in Kanto is the grandson of the famous Professor Oak. Red is both his lifelong rival and his best friend.’ Wait, why are you in my description?!”

Red shrugs and motions for him to read his next. Head reeling from his, Blue clicks off and taps the dex entry. “‘The silent type, this legendary, awesome Pokémon Trainer hardly talks at all. His best friend, Blue, is also his rival.’ Who even writes these?” Blue mutters. “You get the words ‘awesome’ and ‘legendary’ while the notable thing for my bio is that I’m his grandson!”

 _Last sentences._ Red points to them. _They think we’re rivals and best friends._

“I mean, yeah, that’s what we are,” He says. A frown crosses on Red’s face. “Wait, aren’t we?”

Red opens and closes his mouth a few times, reaching for his hat, on despite being indoors. Clapping his hands together, he closes his mouth with a click and sits back on Blue’s bed. 

Weird, but coming from him, that’s normal. Blue rereads their entries and resists the urge to sit there and silently scream. Rivals, he understands, but best friends? The last time he considered Red one was when they were kids. Now?

He snaps his head up to the TV as a Lucario and a trainer battle a group of criminals, judging by their dark outfits and masks. It’s an old Unovan movie that came out a few years ago starring Unova’s former champion and Rosa’s brother, Nate. Red watches with interest, leaning forward while the battle takes place. Blue smiles fondly before realizing what he’s done and looks away.

Is this what best friends do? Hanging out together, battling as a team, motivating each other to train harder--

Blue supposes it is. He realizes it’s the first time he’s thought of Red as one in a while and lets the thought rest safely in his mind as he flops down next to him to watch the movie.

(The small voice in the back whispers that it could be more.) 

* * *

They were invited to Pasio for the Pokémon Masters League, but the reality of it doesn’t hit Blue until he’s backstage, stroking Pidgeot’s feathers and making last-minute changes to his appearance. Cynthia stands close by, cuffing her black fur sleeves and brushing the hair out of her face. It falls straight down her back without any tangles, the perfect shade of blonde. Blue’s hair could never—it takes hours for his hair to look somewhat presentable. Her Garchomp roars and Red’s Charizard does afterward in reply.

Speaking of Red, he’s in another dressing room, not out yet. Blue glances at the clock.

“You should go get him,” Cynthia says, making him jump. “We’ll be out soon.”

“I will.” He nods. “Thanks.”

Knocking on the door, Blue gives it three seconds until it slowly opens, Red’s eyes peering at him from behind the door. “..Hm?” 

He smirks, pushing the door wide open and beckoning down the hall. “It’s showtime! Cynthia’s waiting.”

Red fiddles with his cap, before jamming it onto his head. The rest of his outfit is his Sygna Suit, no different from before. He nods and follows Blue, shoes echoing in the hall.

Cynthia smiles at them, Garchomp at her side as she pushes the doors open. Standing in front of Red, Blue exits and is instantly blinded by the flash of cameras, the chattering of the crowd amplifying to the point of making his ears bleed. Everywhere he looks, a reporter has either a microphone or notepad outstretched, asking him something he can’t hear. Charizard sets a notebook on fire, the paper falling to the ground and burning.

Great.

The majority of the attention is on Cynthia, the former Sinnoh Champion answering interview questions and clearing the crowd for them. She meets his gaze and nods toward the stage, before focusing her attention back onto the interviewer. 

The articles written about her weren’t lying. She’s a goddess. Blue makes a mental note to thank her later and walks down the cleared path. 

“Blue Oak!” He brightens, whirling around to a reporter. “We’d like to ask you some questions--”

“Sure!” He says. At once, they interrogate him, questions overlapping one another.

“Who do you think will win the Pokémon Masters League?”

“How has your time in Pasio been?”

“Who is taking care of the Viridian City Gym while you’re here?”

Blue blinks as they continue to rapid-fire questions at him. Being the region’s shortest-lived Champion and rival of the following champion left him very good at telling reporters to “smell him, later!” but this crowd is a bit much. “Heh, I know you’re all excited but one at a time! I’ll only be taking a few questions!” 

Picking a few at random, Blue answers their questions with clarity and gives them his signature smile once finished. Out of the corner of his eye, Cynthia’s started moving again and he’s on his last answer when--

“Champion Red!” Someone says, and Blue realizes he’s completely forgotten about him. Red’s surrounded by the media-hungry sharks who clutch cameras and paper, clamoring and shoving each other to get to the front. “We’d like to ask--”

“Where have you been all these years?”

“Is it true you trained on Mount Silver?”

“Are you seeing anyone--” 

“Bonjour!” Blue greets, cutting through. “I’m afraid that’s all the time for questions! There’s important PML business we need to attend to soon, so if you’d all kindly clear out for the opening ceremony, it’d be appreciated!” 

Security saves them, cutting through and allowing them to walk freely. Red’s face is pale, hands gripping the brim of his hat so tightly he might snap it in half. The other shakes ever so slightly as they walk to the podium, Red’s movements stiff. His mouth is set in a thin line, his eyes boring a hole into the stage as Lear and his henchmen say the opening speech. Blue clears his throat, bringing Red to look at him.

“Ready?” He says, voice loud enough to be heard over the roar of the crowd but quiet enough Cynthia doesn’t hear. “We’re going to battle and show them we’re the strongest! Pidgeot and Charizard agree, don’t you guys?”

Both Pokémon cheer. Red nods, loosening his hold on his hat. 

Blue grins. Lear’s done with his speech, and the crowd cheers. “Then let’s do it!”

  
  
  
  
  
  


The other trainers on the stage mingle and talk for a bit. While Blue remains with Cynthia and Red, the most notable conversation comes from the other side of the stage, where Lear’s team is standing in front of Scottie and Bettie’s.

Lear sneers at them. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the twins! Still wearing those ridiculous hats I see.”

Bettie glares at him, her Torchic screaming bloody murder as it chirps and scurries like mad on the stage. New Pokémon partner, that’ll be interesting. “We’ll lose the hat when you lose the sunglasses,” she retorts. 

“Hmph.” He ignores her and turns to Scottie. “I see your sister’s taken my advice, but you seem to be a little slow. Please tell me that’s not the same pathetic electric rat that you intend to battle with.”

Pikachu’s cheeks crackle with electricity, but Scottie pats its head. “Pikachu’s a mouse,” he corrects, voice bubbly. “Rats don’t have fur on their tails, unlike you and your coat.”

Bettie high-fives him, identical grins on their faces. For normally well-behaved trainers, it’s amusing to see them being cheeky. Lear grits his teeth, face flushing, and hands balling into fists. “You, you--”

Rachel hides a smile behind her sleeve, expression hardening when Sawyer steps up. “That is no way to speak to the young master!” He defends. 

Blue looks at Red, eyes wide at the exchange. He has to admit, as much as he wants to stay and watch Lear get slaughtered by them, he gestures toward the stairs, which Red nods to. 

They leave the stage without anyone questioning them, but not without a glare at Red’s back from Lear. Blue meets the brat’s gaze, glaring back and smiling afterward.

The shock on his face is priceless. 

* * *

**Red [3:03 pm]**

_What's a meme_

**Blue [3:04 pm]**

_You might wanna ask someone else_

_why?_

**Red [3:08 pm]**

_IMG920.png_

_Scottie and bettie said lear had a surprised pikachu face after we left_

_What does that mean_

**Blue [3:08 pm]**

_LOL_

**Red [3:10 pm]**

_?_

**Blue [3:11 pm]**

_Don’t worry about it_

* * *

Amid the PML pandemonium and Team Break, it’s a miracle that he and Red actually get time off together and enjoy, like what they were supposed to do in the first place. It’s no secret that Lear’s a world-class artificial jerk, and Blue hasn’t forgiven him on whatever happened between him and Red, but at the very least, the guy could have given them a break. Kalos was more relaxing, and Blue spent the majority of his time researching and studying.

The usual meeting spot between him and Red is atop the arena, high above the crowds. It’s the perfect place to view Pasio and talk. Just him, Red, their Pokémon, and the view. Nothing else to worry about or ask for.

Today, Red is there first. Back turned from Blue, he pets Charizard’s neck while peering below. His Poryphone is right next to him, unlocked and on an article with Flint, one of the Sinnoh Elite Four if he remembers correctly. 

“Hey, Red!” Pidgeot sets him down as Red turns. “You’re here early.”

He shrugs. 

“Did you hear the news about Flint and you talking?” Blue continues. “He kept going around the center, telling anybody that would listen. Nobody did, though.”

Red perks up a bit at that. Grabbing his Poryphone, he flicks through images and stops at one before thrusting it into Blue’s hands.

It’s the dex entry for Scottie and Bettie. Both of them have smiles wide enough their faces might split, Pikachu, Solgaleo, and Torchic in the background. Blue stares at it. 

“Scottie and Bettie?” He asks. “What about them?”

Red draws a circle with his finger, repeating it several times. The signs aren’t part of Ranseigo sign language, but the signals he makes are easy enough that Blue can understand. _Go back._

“Flint?” Red nods. 

“You talking?” Another nod.

“Scottie and Bettie were there too?” Third nod. “Wait, you mean Flint’s right?!”

The look on his face must have been shocked as Red looks down, sheepish. Blue mentally slaps himself. Red talking is fine, it’s fine. It’s completely okay. As his best friend, he knows this. Ever since they arrived on Pasio, Red's improved at handling the media, being around others, the things that he stayed in Mount Silver to avoid. Part of Blue feels proud of how far he’s come, while the other part is in the corner of his mind sulking. Red hasn’t spoken to him in Pasio, someone he’s known for his _entire_ life, and when he does speak it’s to complete strangers. It’s fine, Blue is totally fine.

“Fair enough.” He laughs, and Red looks back up at him. “Why’d you speak in front of Flint, though? I understand Scottie and Bettie but Flint?”

Red shrugs nonchalantly, but Blue can see a faint smirk on his lips as he tips his hat down. He doesn’t say or sign anything, yet Blue understands the message completely.

_No one will believe him._

“You sick son of a—“ Blue doubles over, laughing. His worries about not being the first one to hear him speak sound silly now. Red’s not wrong, what happened this morning is proof—nobody will believe anyone with the same hairstyle as the mascot of a fast-food chain, Frontier Brain or not—but the fact that he decided to take advantage of that makes it even funnier. “You—you actually—“

Red stares at him the entire time, head slightly tilted to one side in confusion but smiling nonetheless. It looks adorable and hilarious, making him laugh harder. 

It’s times like these Blue wishes the world would see Red the same way he does. Not Red, the silent trainer, or Red, the Kanto legend, but just Red, who pulls jokes and smiles and _talks_ like any other person. Red, the boy Blue used to tease and sneer at when they were younger. Red, the first person who noticed he changed and forgave him. Red, the one who’s been around his entire life and knows him better than anyone. 

Once the laughter ceases, Blue wipes a tear from his eye. “What, what’d you say to them anyway?”

Red stiffens a bit at that, pulling his hat further down. Before he can wonder if what he said was bad or not, Red leans forward into his ear and whispers:

“Words are unnecessary.”

It’s been a while since he’s heard his voice, and Blue’s brain goes blank. Red’s voice is much softer than before, not rough or deep, considering how much grunting he’s been doing instead of speech. His Ranseigo is pronounced a little wobbly, chills going down his spine as he turns to him. 

Trying to make his expression remain neutral, Blue’s stomach drops when Red starts signing, mouth curved into a frown. He makes a circle under his chin with his fingers, tapping it with his index and extending a palm toward him. _Is my voice strange?_

“No! No!” Blue says quickly. “Of course not! I was surprised, that’s all. I forgot how it sounded.”

“Mhm,” hums Red, unconvinced. He goes back to watching the view, not meeting Blue’s eyes.

“Red.” 

No response.

“Red. Your voice is fine.”

A sigh. _Really?_

“Yeah--”

Red’s response is fast, hands flying. _Why’s everyone making a big deal about it then?_

He blinks. “I…”

 _Flint was shocked. Scottie and Bettie too. Everyone wonders why I don’t talk and keep telling me that I should but…_ Red shakes his head. _Nevermind. It doesn’t matter._

(Technically, the word he uses is “dumb” but his thoughts are far from it.)

“It does matter,” Blue reassures. “Flint, Scottie, and Bettie were probably just caught off guard, like me. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, no matter what anybody else says.”

 _I know,_ his hands shake. _But...you don’t need to speak for people to know what we’re saying._

“Hey, you told three people that today,” he reasons, gesturing to Red’s Poryphone, which hasn’t turned off from the article yet. “Progress is progress. You’re doing good. One day, everyone will understand.” 

He hands back Red’s phone, a soft smile on his face. Taking it, Red hums, before signing once more. _What makes you so sure?_

“Well, I did,” he confesses.

Red’s eyes widen a bit, mouth curving into a small “o” as his hands move up and down, not making any known sign. They hover in front of his chest and he lowers them. _Thanks,_ he mouths. 

“Eh, don’t beat yourself up about it,” Blue says. “Besides, that mood changed _way_ too fast. Weren’t you laughing about Flint?” He points to the dumbfounded expression on Flint’s face in the photo. “Look how ridiculous he looks! Where’d that sad talk come from?”

Red gives a nonchalant shrug and stands up, bringing his fingers to his mouth and letting out a sharp whistle, a signal for Charizard to come. The dragon appears within a few moments as Red hoists himself on and waves two fingers at Blue. _See you._

“Smell ya,” he salutes.

* * *

The twins are in the lobby again, chatting with a few other trainers. They’re not the only twin duo at Pasio—Tate and Liza, Hilbert and Hilda, along with many others along the way. Rosa’s brother, Nate, Blue thinks, is also on his way to the island. A couple of siblings aren’t on the same teams but are related, like Kris and her younger sister Lyra. 

Bettie and Scottie finish talking with one of the trainers and turn. Blue catches their eye and waves them over, which they quickly do.

“Bonjour!” He greets. “This got tangled in Pigeot’s feathers, put it to good use!”

Handing over the training manual, he smiles as the pair’s eyes brighten and take it from him. Scottie grins, his sister putting the book into her bag. Her Torchic is sound asleep, it’s head barely poking out from the backpack. Scottie’s Pikachu is perched on his shoulder, humming. 

“Thanks, Blue!” The twins chorus.

“No problem!”

Pikachu squeaks and hops down from Scottie’s shoulder. Before Blue can react, it rubs its face against his leg and smiles. He pats it awkwardly, at a loss of what to do. Red’s Pikachu would never behave this way--the she-demon herself would normally hiss and electrocute him if he came too close.

“You’ve heard of my rival, Red?” He asks. The twins both nod, and Blue swears he sees Bettie roll her eyes as Scottie shoves her. “He’s got a Pikachu too! She’s not with him right now though, since trainers can only have one Pokémon at a time here.

“Pikachu’s one of Red’s strongest but you,” he picks up the Pikachu, “might give her a run for her money.” 

“Pika!” It chirps.

They dissolve into laughter at that, and Pikachu climbs back onto Scottie’s shoulder. He scratches behind its ears, letting out a series of squeals. 

Stepping forward, Bettie places her hands on her hips and stares at him, eyes narrowed and calculating. For such an upbeat person, it’s bizarre to see the sudden change in demeanor, as the look is only given to her opponents in battles. Her brother notices it as well, stopping his playtime with Pikachu to gently pull her away from him.

“Bettie?” Scottie whispers although Blue can’t help but overhear. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” Just like that, she’s smiling and her cheerful self. “Why?”

Scottie blinks. “You looked kinda...angry. At Blue,” he adds.

“Did I?!” She laughs nervously. “I’ll say sorry later!”

“Good.” A beat. “What’s wrong, though? You only look like that when beating up Team Break, or Lear, or--”

“Haven’t you noticed,” she interrupts, eyes sparkling and mouth curved into a grin. Her expression screams mischievous and from the maniacal glee, she’s scheming something. It’s the same look Daisy gives him when she cajoles him into doing something for her. “Haven’t you noticed that Blue,” Blue quickly turns away at that, “is always talking about Red?”

“Yeah, and?” Scottie shrugs, unfazed.

Blue, on the other hand, is desperately trying to piece the remains of his brain together to see where Bettie is going. Now that he thinks about it, he _does_ talk about Red a bit too much, but it’s not his fault every conversation loops back to him. The twins are almost a spitting image of how he was and is now, both in battling and in behavior.

“Look here too!” Bettie hands Scottie her Poryphone.“In the dex entries, they’re _rivals_ and _best friends_ and they’re always seen _together_.”

“Wait.” Realization dawns on Scottie’s face, and Blue resists the urge to bury his face in his hands. “You mean--”

“They’re either dating, or Blue’s a hopeless pining idiot.”

Blue freezes and chokes on air. What in the actual name of _Arceus_ is going on. Pidgeot stares at him and glances back at the twins, and Bettie is still talking.

“The other day somebody got this picture of them in the city,” she says. “Last week, they were on the rooftop together. Then it was at the PML opening, in the sky, everywhere!”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Scottie trails off. 

“Rosa thinks so! Her, Barry, and I think a lot more people do too! There are like literally millions of people here who want to date him and Blue turns down all of them! Red too!”

“This is because Barry said Brendan and May were dating, isn’t it?”

She shakes her head. “No, I mean, kinda. But it’s true! Their names even match! Red and Blue are both colors—!”

He doesn’t want to hear any more of the conversation. Walking away and sitting on a stool in front of one of the employees, he stares at the table, taking what she said in.

He does spend a lot of time with Red, but the guy can’t socialize for the life of him so if Blue doesn’t, then nobody will. Their names are a stupid Kanto tradition, and they’re not the only trainers that have matching names, as Scottie and Bettie have the same endings, Hilbert and Hilda, Gold (Ethan, but technically nobody calls him that) and Silver, and more. 

Besides, Blue doesn’t _hopelessly pine._ Not in a million years. 

He doesn’t like Red in the first place. 

He doesn’t.

Bettie’s wrong. They’re all wrong.

But the image of Red slams back into Blue’s mind, loud and clear, over the cacophony that is his current state of mind. A genuine smile on his face, the afternoon sun making his eyes shine, the determination and skill when it comes to battling--he’s the spark that started the embers of his heart to leap and twirl in a fiery dance, silently burning despite the world around them. The flames surround him in a roaring inferno, the thought of Red, Red, Red, burning all around him--

Oh no.

_Oh no._

He should have never taken that class in creative writing in Kalos. Blue buries his face in his hands and muffles a scream. 

“I can’t believe it,” he mutters under his breath, before remembering he’s not alone.“Shut up,” he tells Pidgeot, who has the audacity to roll his eyes. “I know that look on your face. Stop it.” 

* * *

Blue didn’t know how he ended up at the villa, but he’s thankful nonetheless. 

It wasn’t like he was going to battle anyway. He was already knocked out for the day, taken out by one of the trainers in the villa around hall 19. It wasn’t his fault though—the battle villa trainers were absolute tanks that could sustain ridiculous amounts of damage and the added rule that they were only allowed to use a limited amount of moves made it difficult to battle. Tomorrow, once Pigeot rested, he’d fight and win.

“Woah! Look!” 

A crowd had gathered in front of the building, people pressing their faces against the glass. An explosion can be heard from inside the building, and Blue assumes it’s a battle rather than an emergency when the crowd cheers and hollers.

The only question is who is battling. This side of the estate is for the higher halls and whoever’s battling is near close to completing the battle villa. Not wanting to look suspicious, Blue slowly sneaks his way into the crowd, trying to peer inside. The architects must have known that people would want to spectate as the windows are huge, taking up the entire wall, and he blends in with ease. 

“Now’s our chance!” 

Inside, the girl on the right yells it as her Serperior fires an Energy Ball at the opposing team’s Pokémon. The Ranseigo is pronounced poorly, and Blue realizes that’s because the one who’s speaking is one of the Unovan trainers, Rosa. She extends her arm and yells another command as the Pokémon faints and another trainer steps up to the fight.

“Alright!”

To the far left of the battlefield, a Pikachu squeaks and hops, dodging attacks left and right. Scottie, his sister not with him, is also yelling commands to his Pokémon. Two potions are strapped to his waist, and he grabs one and sprays it onto Rosa’s Serperior before it goes back onto the battlefield. 

There’s an article about him and his potions that Blue remembers reading. _Battle Villa Stars_ was the headline, and a short portion of it was dedicated to Scottie and Bettie with their featured Pokémon. Scottie and “Potionchu” was the nickname for them, being widely known as a master healer while his Pikachu could dodge and survive on the bare minimum of HP. On the other hand, Bettie and “Slowgaleo” have a much more negative connotation, but they do well when it comes to the earlier halls that have a type weakness.

“Mph!” 

Blue’s head whips to the middle of the battlefield. The star of the show is none other than Red, gripping his hat and extending his arm out while Charizard sends a heatwave out to his opponents. His hand gestures are fast and sharp, and his partner does the commands the moment they’re given. The other team’s Pokémon faint in an instant and the final trainer steps up to the fray.

The battle villa was only set up a few days ago, and Blue forgot who the trainers in charge of it were. Most trainers and Factory Heads helped along with Lear’s henchmen (whom he happily pounded into the dirt), but the fact that the final trainer is _Thorton_ and his Bronzong make him scratch his head because he’s honestly never heard of the guy.

However, Thorton isn’t the last battle villa boss for nothing and Rosa’s Serperior goes down, Scottie and Pikachu unable to revive it. Bronzong goes for another zen headbutt, directed towards Pikachu now, and Scottie yells at it to dodge a second too late. The move hits it dead on, and his partner is sent flying across the field. 

“Pikachu!” Scottie screams. Rosa has her hands over her mouth, Serperior already back in its Pokéball as Scottie yells. “Pikachu!”

It’s hard to see, but Blue can see Red grit his teeth as he and Charizard unleash another series of blast burns on Thorton’s Bronzong. Arceus, how tanky is it? Although battered and bruised, the thing still floats fine and shoots a gyroball. Charizard gets hit and both Red and the crowd wince, but it remains flying to Blue’s relief. They aren’t knocked out of the battle that easy.

“Pika…”

Pikachu hops to its feet and the crowd around him cheers. Scottie grins, removing a potion from his belt but hesitates. Looking at Red’s Charizard and his Pokémon, he bites his lip and twirls the potion in his hand.

“Um, Red?” He says, quiet. Blue can barely hear it through the glass. Charizard roars and attacks as Red turns to him. “Should Charizard get it or--

Blue glances at the screen overhead displaying the stats. Thorton’s Bronzong somehow is in the green for HP, Red’s Charizard at half, and Pikachu with one. Pikachu resumes evading the attacks from Bronzong but the rat isn’t going to last much longer. Charizard does the damage, but once Pikachu gets taken out, he’d go down fast. 

It’s a hard call, Blue knows that. He can see gears turning in Red’s head and for a moment, neither say anything, Scottie’s arm shaking with the potion in it. 

“Hngh.” 

Pushing Scottie’s arm back, Red points to Pikachu and nods. Scottie jumps to his feet and calls Pikachu back, spraying the potion onto it and restoring the health bar to the green. 

The crowd relaxes, but Red isn’t. He tilts his hat to the point of covering his face and through a series of hand gestures and grunts, Charizard continues firing attack after attack, lowering Bronzong’s health to orange. 

“Look!” The girl to his right says. “He’s gonna do a sync move!”

Due to Red’s claims of his sync move being a _surprise,_ Blue hasn’t been able to see it yet. Red taps his bracelet, keeping one hand on his hat and extending the other out. An aura surrounds his Charizard as it mega-evolves. _Living Legend Blast Burn,_ the screen displays a poorly edited image of Mount Silver with Red in the foreground. Mega-Charizard goes for Bronzong and sends a flurry of blast burns to rain upon the poor thing.

Smoke and dust fill the field. Everyone with Blue complains.

“Oh come on!” 

“Are you kidding me?!”

As much as he wants to break the glass and see for himself the outcome, Blue remains standing and waits. Sure enough, it clears and Thorton has his Pokéball out.

“You sure showed me!” Thorton laughs, recalling Bronzong. Mega-Charizard lands next to Red and Pikachu hops onto Scottie’s shoulder. “Unfortunately, I seem to have had suboptimal results this battle! That 90 percent was in your odds, not mine! Congratulations on completing the battle villa!”

“Yes!” 

The crowd cheers and Blue watches with amusement as Rosa and Scottie laugh and engulf Red in a hug. His eyes widen, shocked from the contact but doesn’t push them away. His mouth is quirked upward and although it’s not a full smile, it’s enough to make everyone go insane.

“DID YOU SEE THAT?!!”

“One hell of a battle—“

“HE SMILED! HE SMILED!”

Scottie and Rosa haven’t let go of Red yet, the two trainers looking like they’re about to cry. 

“I can’t believe we got this far!” Rosa says, jumping up and down. “We did so well you guys!” 

“Pika~!” 

“Char!”

They laugh at their Pokémon, Red nodding at Charizard. It de-evolves back into its normal form, no longer mega. 

“Excuse me, coming through--”

Blue suppresses a groan. The paparazzi are here, a huge swarm of reporters clutching microphones and cameras bigger than themselves. Red may have improved at being around others, but his attitude towards the media hasn’t changed. There is no guarantee of how he’ll react to the sea of people heading towards the exit.

Untangling themselves from Red and frowning, Rosa and Scottie seem to hear it too. The latter doesn’t like the limelight as much as his sister and although Rosa is okay with it, their eyes drift to Red. In Scottie’s case, he makes eye contact with Blue through the window. 

Thorton catches on, the factory head leading the trio to the exit. Scottie and Rosa exit first (judging from the cheers erupting from the crowd) but he and Red disappear down a corridor.

Blue runs a hand through his hair as he paces outside, sending a glance towards the mob of people every now and then. Thorton’s a reliable guy, he thinks, and it’s not like he would secretly be part of team Break or anything. Besides, the other option was to send Red into the unforgivable media and there was no way that was happening. If worse came to worst, Red could take him, especially with Charizard, but the two alone sent shivers down Blue’s spine. 

“Waiting for Red, huh?”

Snapping his head up, Blue whirls around to face none other than Bettie, walking towards him slowly. She waves. Her hair is down, not in her usual ponytail. 

“Hey!” Blue grins, pushing the anxiety down. “Haven’t seen you in a while! Like the hair!!” To her question, he adds, “Yeah, his battle was insane! Are you waiting for your brother?”

Bettie nods. “Yeah, pretty sure he’ll brag about beating it before me.”

“Heh.” Where has he heard that before? “Siblings are tough.”

“Bettie! Blue!” 

The look on Scottie’s face is enough to rival the sun. He beams and breaks into a run, Rosa not too far behind him. Panting, they look up and wave.

“There were so many of them,” Scottie huffs. Pikachu is on the ground, not on the usual spot of his shoulder. “That was exhausting.”

“Well, you know what they say,” Rosa laughs. “It’s time to energize--”

“Please no.”

“Oh, lighten up! We’re the first team to clear the battle villa! Isn’t it exciting?” 

Blue grins as well. “You guys did great! Congrats! But we’ll catch up soon,” he adds. “So you better watch out!”

“Ha, we will!”

“Thanks!”

Rosa and the twins quickly dive into a conversation of their own, chatting and grinning about the battle, the media, and memes. Blue doesn’t understand half the references they make, and it makes him feel old when he’s barely an adult. It’s hard to believe Pasio is an artificial island but the words that come out of their mouth are even harder to accept. 

Speaking of the battle, Red hasn’t come yet. Blue shoves his hands into his pockets and kicks the grass. 

“I told you,” Bettie whispers. “They’re probably dating.” Muffled laughter comes from them. 

“I heard that!” Blue’s face feels warm. Must be the heat. “Me and Red aren’t dating. Besides, I don’t like him like that!”

“And Delibirds can fly!” She sighs.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Delibird fly,” Scottie ponders, coming to his rescue. “They’re a flying type, but I’ve never seen it flying.”

Rosa, who has a Delibird, giggles. “Good luck solving that mystery!”

They spend a solid thirty seconds staring at Rosa’s innocent smile before bursting into laughter, Scottie keeping his hand on his Pikachu so that it won’t fall off his shoulder. Bettie hides a smile behind her hands while Rosa laughs, and Blue stares at them before shaking his head. 

Scottie stops mid-laugh, immediately standing upright with his shoulders back. “Look!”

While the other two straighten themselves out, Blue turns to see who he refers to. The Charizard flapping its wings in front of the figure gives it away, as there’s nobody else in Pasio with a more memorable Pokémon. He can feel himself smiling as Red comes into view, hat pointed up and a smile that could cure paralysis on his face. He doesn’t notice them yet, nodding and shrugging to his companions. The guy and girl next to him laugh, the guy’s hair dark brown and spiky while the girl’s fiery red hair is pulled into a side ponytail. Misty and Brock, no wonder Red’s relaxed with them. 

“You had an amazing battle!” Blue can hear Brock saying, “Of course you three are the first ones to clear it!”

“Yeah! Scottie and Rosa did amazing, and you and Charizard are a great pair!” Misty smiles. “Brock and I are barely on hall fifteen!”

Red grunts in lieu of an answer, tipping his hat down. “Mhm.”

Misty steps forward and tilts his hat up, the two’s gazes locking as she tucks a few strands of hair into his cap. Whispering something that Blue doesn’t catch, she laughs merrily and steps back, leaving Red with the faintest hue of pink on his cheeks.

When he first began flying on Pidgeot, Blue would fall, losing his grip on its feathers and tumbling toward the ground. Naturally, Pidgeot would rescue him before it was too late, but in the moments he had nothing to hang on to and free-fell through the air, time seemed to slow down until it was only him and the sky above, the sky that he grew further and further away from no matter how his hands tried to grasp it. The trio’s bickering blend in with the sound of the wind howling in his ears, their faces blurring into the endless blue sky. His stomach drops, gut twisting as the ground grows nearer and nearer.

The impact never comes. There’s always someone there to catch him before it’s too late and someone shakes his arm, jerking him back to reality.

“What is—“ Red’s staring at him, eyes wide with worry. “Oh, hey!”

He doesn’t get to say more as one of the twins shriek and go, “The crowds are coming!”

Yells and stampedes of people come from the corner of the building and Blue feels his arm being tugged as he gets led away from the paparazzi. Brock and Misty try their best to keep them at bay as the rest of them make their escape. The twins and Rosa are gone when he looks back to the place they stood and that means the one holding his hand as they run is--

“Red!” 

Hoisting himself onto Charizard, Red stares at him and gestures for him to do the same. Blue releases Pidgeot and follows him into the sky.

Neither of them speaks but as Blue glances at him, Red’s body bounces with adrenaline, a genuine smile on his face as he watches the view below. He catches him staring and laughs, loud and clear despite the wind in his ears.

Maybe it’s the altitude, but Blue feels lighter, soaring through the air with their Pokémon and Red by his side.

  
  
  
  
  
  


They land on the rooftop of the stadium like usual, Red practically bursting with excitement as Blue hops down and sits next to him. The sun is beginning to set on the horizon, orange-tinted skies above them. It makes everything on Pasio look warmer, himself and Red included.

“Okay, okay!” Blue laughs. “Congrats on completing the battle villa!”

Red beams. He’s practically glowing. _Thank you_.

“Yeah, you deserve it! I’ll be the next one to beat it though, so don’t relax just yet!”

Chuckling, Red shoves him. 

“Hey, it’s true! Pidgeot and I will catch up to you too soon!”

Speaking of, their Pokémon have disappeared from their spot behind them. He can make out their faint figures of them flying in the distance.

“They ditched us,” he says. “They’re probably off on their own thing, though.”

Red hums and just when he thinks they’re about to lapse into silence, he signs, _What happened earlier?_

“Earlier?”

Red points at his face and frowns.

“Oh.” At the villa. “The media were kinda annoying me.”

Red gives him an unconvinced stare. _You like the attention._

“Well,” he says, caught in his lie. “In Pasio, no.”

“Mhm.” He taps Blue’s side. “Hm.” _What’s bothering you?_

Sighing, Blue closes his eyes. There’s no point lying anymore. “Just got a bit jealous, that’s all.”

Red tilts his head, confused. _Why?_

“You know, how you beat the battle villa before me. Honestly, I can’t say that I’m really surprised that you’d be the first one to—“

_Why?_

“Wh—I just told you!”

 _No, you didn’t._ Red shakes his head.

“Fine!” He opens his mouth but the words die before they leave. Admitting he was jealous of him and another person sounds humiliating. Blue stops himself. “Yeah, that’s it!”

Red purses his lips into a thin line but doesn’t probe any further. They sit in silence before Blue breaks it again.

“So, what were you, Brock, and Misty talking about earlier?” 

A shrug. _Battle villa._

“You guys seemed close. What’d Misty say to you before we left?” He asks, trying to keep his tone neutral.

Red blushes and says nothing, confirming the worst of Blue’s suspicions. Keeping a smile on his face, his heart twists and screams at him as he says, “You two would make a--”

 _She told me,_ Red signs, _some advice._

Blue blinks. “What?”

 _Some advice,_ he continues, _about you._

Blue blinks twice. “What?!”

Red’s eyes flick down to his mouth and Blue’s too slow to realize what’s happening until it does, him leaning forward and crashing his onto Red’s.

He doesn’t know what possesses him but he’s eternally grateful. Maybe it was the way Red laughed. Maybe it was his smile. Maybe it was the fact he’d been keeping everything bottled up for Arceus knows how long and decided enough was enough. 

Red’s lips are soft and pliant, so light Blue almost believes it’s the kiss of the sea breeze that he feels flying through the air and not his lifelong rival. A gust of wind comes their way and they fall onto the roof, breaking apart and breathing heavily until Red cups his face and kisses him all over again. 

It feels like hours when Blue finally opens his eyes. Red’s hat is gone, blown off somewhere thanks to the wind, his dark hair sticking out in ten different directions, wild and unruly. Brushing a strand out of his face, Blue smiles.

A strangled squawk sounds in the background. They jerk apart, like puppets on strings, Blue’s face flushed as Red’s name, while Red grasps for a hat that isn’t there. Looking up, Blue’s heart stops as he realizes Pidgeot and Charizard are staring at them with a look that can only be described as _smug_ on a Pokémon. 

“You two!”

The two pale and take off, Charizard dropping down Red’s hat and Pidgeot winking. It makes them both flush harder.

“Yeah, that’s right! Stop spying on us!” He yells. Pidgeot innocently whistles. Charizard closes his eyes. “When we get back, I swear I’m going to--”

Laughs come from behind him. Red is smiling, eyes sparkling, and hat back on his head. But the only thing Blue can focus on is his smile, the way Red tugs on his sleeve to give their Pokémon a pass for what they did.

“We should probably go somewhere else,” Blue says. “Somewhere where there aren’t _our sync partners_ staring at us.”

If they hear him, they don’t make a sound. Red rolls his eyes. _Let them stare._

He can’t argue with that. But just to be sure, he slips off Red’s hat and places it over their faces as the world falls away once more.

* * *

They keep their relationship a secret for now, only letting a select few know. Leaf somehow knows before they tell her, cries of “congratulations” and hugs coming from her. Daisy and Red’s mom have the same reaction, making the whole process much easier. 

He and Red spend the next few days with each other, Red watching him finish the villa, running from the media, and pounding Team Break into the dirt. Gramps comes, and he meets him at the airport before calling Daisy together to show he’s landed safely. His hair is greyer than the last time he saw him, wrinkles increasing but frown gone, a smile and laugh coming from him as he ruffles Blue’s hair. A few years ago, Blue would’ve flinched and recoiled, but now he rolls his eyes and swats the hand away. It’s another aspect of his life that shows how far they’ve grown, and he’s weirdly thankful.

Agatha, to his utter disgust and awe (he can’t decide, maybe both), tags along with them, her and Gramps falling into conversation with ease. Gramps’ old flame’s battle skills haven’t diminished, as expected as one of the members of the Elite Four. However, Blue can’t tell if the phrases they shout at each during battles are normal battle quips or flirts. He wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the latter and starts calling Agatha, “Granny” just to see the expression on the two’s faces.

Valentine’s day rolls around and unfortunately, he doesn’t see Red. He spends the day spying on Gramps with Agatha, which turns into third-wheeling them when their cover is blown. It’s not a waste, as he gets to third-wheel with Scottie, who looks as scandalized as he does watching the two’s antics.

“Is this literally how old people act?” Scottie says with mounting horror. His Pikachu wrinkles it’s nose in disgust as Gengar and Nidorino battle. “Or is it just them--wait have they dated before?”

“Beats me, Gramps doesn’t talk about his trainer days that much.” Agatha and her Gengar hurl a shadow ball at Nidorino. “But you’re probably not far off,” he says quickly. “Where’s your sister?”

Scottie shrugs. “She’s with Barry, I think. Drooling over Steven Stone. She _really_ wants him on her team, especially since Red’s on mine.” 

“Heh.” Steven Stone’s a popular leading figure, even after losing his Champion title. “Her team is going to be with a lot of metal types.” 

“Yeah, but she doesn’t mind,” he says, scratching his Pikachu behind the ear. “It’s about having a team with Pokémon and people you trust and care about, not about what makes you the strongest.”

“Yeah,” Blue agrees. “You guys are pretty mature for your age, you know?”

“Really?” Scottie hops up and grins. “People tell us the opposite--they say we’re naive.”

He emphasizes the last word as if trying it out for the first time. Blue realizes that he’s talking to a ten-year-old. “Who?”

“Lear.”

The look on his face must say it all because Scottie laughs and says, “Like I know he’s a jerk, but he’s trying his best. I feel kinda bad when Bettie and I tease him because it doesn’t help.”

Blue stares at him for a moment and shakes his head. “You’re too nice.”

“What do you--oh!”

He and Gramps gasp, pointing towards the treetops. Blue and Agatha have no choice but to follow them as they walk off, mumbling something about a Legendary that makes them scoff because there’s no way they’re right.

  
  
  
  
  
  


He’s dating Red and Scottie’s sister’s partner Pokémon is literally from the sun, so in the spectrum of impossible, he should have known that their claims were true and not when Mew pops out from a bush and flies around their faces. 

Blue’s jaw drops, along with Agatha’s and Scottie’s. For such a celestial being, it’s smaller and more playful than he expected. It giggles and floats in front of Gramps, whose expression is one that Blue’s never seen before. Grinning, Gramps’ eyes sparkle as he watches Mew with interest. 

“Mew looks like it wants to play!” Scottie says, and they begin battling. 

As expected of its size and nature, Mew evades their attacks, innocently flying once they’re over. Pikachu’s the only one that comes close to its speed, but even it and Scottie can’t land a hit. The kid is right--Mew _is_ playing with them, but it seems happy doing so.

Blue can’t tell who’s more delighted to have the other on their team when Gramps asks if Mew would join him as his sync partner. He almost misses the shock on Scottie’s face when Gramps asks if he’ll let them join his team. 

“Sure!” He grins like he’s been given the best Christmas gift of all time. “Bettie is going to _freak_ _out_ when she hears this.”

  
  
  
  
  


Returning to the Pokecenter lobby feels surreal. Gramps and Mew get along like a house on fire, the legendary flying around and hiding in his lab coat. Once they enter the lobby, Gramps says goodbye to not cause a scene, much to Blue’s disappointment. He’s heard rumors of Rayquaza inside--adding another Legendary would be interesting. 

“See you, Mew.” Blue watches it go. “Don’t look so down,” he tells Gramps. “You’ll see it again soon! It’s your partner Pokémon!”

“I know.” Gramps smiles. “I can’t wait! There isn’t much research done so having this opportunity will allow me to learn more about it! Did you know it’s said to have the DNA of all Pokémon?”

“We’ve lost him,” Agatha says, shaking her head. “The old geezer’s not going to be able to talk about anything else.”

Scottie and Agatha part ways, the former going off to fetch his sister. Blue pats Pikachu’s head and waves to Gengar as they leave. The sight of them together makes him chuckle, as Scottie hasn’t stopped talking about the event, using wild hand gestures and onomatopoeia that Agatha laughs at. 

Although Blue droned him out, Gramps is still muttering about Mew and Pasio. He sighs. Agatha’s right. If Gramps continues talking, he might as well start writing a thesis. 

“Ah, that reminds me!” Gramps says, bringing Blue’s attention back. “He should be here by now! We were supposed to meet him an hour ago!”

“He?” Blue repeats. The doors to the PokeCenter lobby open and they walk through. “Who are you talking—“

“Red, good to see you!”

Blue immediately snaps his head up and runs, a bright grin on his face as Red gives him a shy wave. Remembering Gramps is with them and doesn’t and absolutely must _not_ know, he stops himself and gives Red a high five as he stands next to him. 

Their hands linger on top of each other’s a second too long, but Gramps doesn’t comment on it as he unloads his lecture onto Red. As they talk, Blue settles for watching a girl play with her Chikorita, the Johto starter letting out a battle cry and hurtling a razor leaf at a wall. It leaves a dent and the two pale, and Blue uses the break to sneak a glance at Red.

He makes a face at him, obviously bored. Scanning the rest of the lobby, Blue catches sight of a bright yellow fur ball on top of someone’s hat, making him whirl around and shout.

“Scottie! Bettie! Bonjour!”

The two beam and come over, the focus of the conversation shifting to them.

“Scottie! How nice to see you again!” Gramps greets and turns to Bettie. “Ah, you must be Bettie! I’ve heard many wonderful things about you--”

“I’m sorry,” she interrupts, an innocent smile on her face. “But who are you again?”

Gramps’ jaw drops with such comical speed that it takes every ounce of Blue’s willpower to not die of laughter. Meeting Mew didn’t render him this shocked. He opens his mouth and closes it several times, no sounds coming out. The question Bettie asked is pure karma catching up to him after years of forgetting his name. Blue notes to thank her. He has quite the story to tell Daisy when he calls her later.

“Relax, Gramps! Bettie’s just kidding!”

Gramps doesn’t respond for a second, but his face breaks into a smile and laughs.

As they talk, Red nudges his side and points to the exit. “Yeah, I hear you,” Blue says. “Hey, Gramps!” He hollers, and the trio turns to look at him. “Me and Red are going to go do our own thing.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply, following Red out of the lobby. The moment they’re out of sight, Blue takes it as an opportunity to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, laughing at Red’s shocked expression.

“We’re lucky Gramps is so dense,” he says, grabbing his hand. “He doesn’t have a clue about us.”

 _When are you going to tell him?_ Red hoists himself onto his Charizard and motions for Blue to do the same to Pidgeot.

“Hm, soon, probably.” His phone chimes and Blue pulls it out. It’s a text from Leaf, but the date makes Blue’s eyes widen. February 14th, interesting. “So Red, Valentine’s Day, huh?”

Red shrugs. _Yeah?_

“Are you taking me out on a date?” 

He pushes him off Pidgeot, sending him to the grass, laughing. Red huffs and walks away. “Wait, Red! I was just joking! I want to go on one with you!” 

* * *

It’s weird to think the PML is coming to an end, so soon. Blue can hear the crowd outside as he dusts off his outfit, taking a deep breath before knocking on the back door.

“Ready? Voila!”

Red claps as Blue steps into the room, donning his new Sygna Suit, courtesy of Valerie. His jacket is gorgeous, blue, and gold sparkling under the lights. They match Blastoise and his name. Big pockets are sewn onto the sides of his pants, empty and probably always will be.

Red seems to notice too, as he points at the pants and covers his smile with his hands. 

“Oh, shush you!” Blue shoves him. “You can’t lecture me about my pants when yours are ridiculous too!”

 _Your pockets, though._ Trailing a finger down the blue flames that flare up his legs, Red shrugs. _My pants aren’t that bad._

“Yeah, right. At least I can keep a bunch of things in my pockets.” 

_Like what?_

“Like, my Poryphone, Pokéballs, I guess wallet, and—“

Grabbing his hand, Red places them into the pocket. They fit perfectly and he gives him a smile. _This too._

“I, uh,” Blue’s brain short-circuits at how incredibly _smooth_ that was, especially from Red. “Yeah—“

“Dear Arceus, get a room!” Leaf groans, stepping inside with them. “We get it!”

“You don’t see us complaining when you’re with Kris—“

“Because Kris is amazing!” She gestures at her outfit. “How do I look? You two look great, by the way!”

Taking a look at hers, Blue has to bite down a laugh and holds down Red’s hands so he can’t sign about it. From the shorts, shirt, and jacket, it doesn’t look half-bad, but the color-scheme could be fixed. The greens are all over the place. That’s not the worst, as the leaf-printed hat on her head (that was probably to be a homage to her name, oh well) gives off an entirely _different_ atmosphere than was intended.

“It’s uh, great!” He says, ignoring the look of concern on Red’s face.

She beams and throws her hair back. “Thank you! Let’s go win this league!”

Leaf runs outside with Venusaur behind her, the cheers of the crowd exploding. Blue helps Red stand as they walk towards it. He can sense the worry, the way Red hesitates to push the door open, flinching at the roar of the crowd. Taking his hand, Blue clasps it and brings Red to meet his eyes.

“We got this, you know. You too.”

Red nods, glancing down at their hands and the exit.

“We’re announcing it today. After we win.” He chuckles. “The tabloids are gonna freak out.”

“Mhm.”

His hair covers his eyes and Blue brushes it out of the way, pressing his lips to his forehead. “Arceus, I love you,” he murmurs. 

A beat. 

“What, you're not going to say it back?” He teases. “That’s cold, Red.”

Red smiles and pushes the doors open. Lights and cameras blinding him, the people cheer and leave Blue unable to hear much of anything, but Red leans forward, whispering three words back.

“Words are unnecessary.” 

“Wha—you can’t just—“

Laughter. Red throws his head back laughing that his cap nearly falls off, the sound loud and clear despite the ringing in his ears. He grabs the collar of Blue’s jacket and kisses him.

The stadium falls into chaos, he thinks, everyone screaming and the volume reaching a point to where the next region over could probably hear them. Cameras click rapidly, lights flash, and when they finally pull away, Blue lifts his and Red’s hands into the air.

“Let the PML begin!”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is fic is dedicated to my s/o who had to sit there, watch me rant and cry about the fic, and then beta it. Truly amazing. 
> 
> Scottie and Bettie's personalities are based on the two dialogue options and the types of people who play the game. You got the casuals who are a little lost and the people who already know what they're doing. (Also, BV setup you might already know, Red, Rosa, and Skyla are actually OP). 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Like 50% of the dialogue was from the game, and it was my first time writing in present tense and every literal fluff scene, so stay safe and I'm just gonna take a nap.
> 
> (Did you spot the youngster Joey references?)


End file.
